Category Archives: Blog

How to beat Gordon Brown

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Imagine the scene. It’s a few weeks before the next general election. Gordon Brown – now Prime Minister – is reeling off another of his lists of economic statistics. He is about to launch New Labour’s general election campaign centred – as they have all been – on their economic record.

Who as Liberal Democrat leader could match him economic fact for economic fact in the debate in Parliament? Who will persuade leading journalists during the subsequent forensic media cross-examination as regards those key pocket-book issues?

For me, the clear answer is Chris Huhne.

Chris’s record as an economist, successful businessman and senior economics journalist give him the skills and expertise to do just that.

Of course credibility is not the only thing.

Important to me too are the beliefs behind Chris’s economic credibility.

A strong belief in the environment – to be protected and restored by taxing the activities that damage it while using the revenues to provide alternatives such as better public transport.

A commitment to social justice, most importantly by taking the poorest out of income tax all together.

Chris has the right priorities for our party, and decades of experience campaigning for them.

But Chris also showed his strength of character long before entering politics.

One of his first assignments as a journalist was reporting undercover from India during Mrs Ghandi’s crisis.

Chris stood up to Robert Maxwell – continuing to report his wrongdoings despite having four libel writs outstanding.

This shows a certain bravery and principle that was sorely missing from many journalists who took the easy option and turned a blind eye to Maxwell’s crimes.

There are only a few short weeks between the election of our new leader and the vital May local election campaigns (including in my own patch – Haringey – where we hope to take control of the council from Labour).

We need a leader who will be absolutely sure-footed in dealing with the media from day one, if not before. In just the few weeks of this leadership campaign Chris has shown his ability to win media coverage – coming from 200-1 outsider to within sight of the winning post.

What’s more, Chris’s campaigning experience of facing down one of the best-funded Tory campaigns in southern England and winning also means that with him as leader we can be sure to have someone who actively and productively supports our campaigning activity and leads by example in using the latest campaign techniques.

That’s why so many of the MPs who were elected for the first time last May – like both myself (a huge swing from Labour) and Lorely Burt, winner of Solihull on a dramatic swing from the Tories – are backing Chris.

We’ve seen the benefits of fighting modern, cutting-edge campaigns in our own seats, winning from both Labour and the Tories – and want to see those ideas spread much, much further in the party.

The wealth of experience Chris would bring to being leader of our party is reflected in the breadth of support he has already built up – including such highly experienced participants in the political scene as Bill Rodgers (SDP founder and former leader in the House of Lords).

Bill has seen an awful lot of party leaders of all stripes come and go over the decades – far more than me! – and in his measure, Chris certainly has what it take to lead and to win.

With any leader, there’s always a careful balance to be struck between wanting someone who will lead and give direction on the one hand, and on the other hands having someone who will respect and work with the party’s – quite rightly democratic – policy-making process.

With Chris, we know what we’re getting. He’s already chaired the party’s key public services policy commission under Charles Kennedy – working successfully with all parts of the party to produce a distinctive, effective and liberal set of policies to improve our services and radically cut down the power of central government and central bureaucrats.

Outside the party too, Chris is rated as the man who can do it:

“Brains and political acumen to match Labour ministers” (Guardian)
“Fluent and persuasive” (Daily Telegraph)
“No political novice … he has long been one of the party’s key thinkers” (BBC)
“Strong reputation” (ITN)
“A high profile among Lib Dem members” (The Times)
“Able” (The Independent)

If you’re still not sure if you agree with me, or the Guardian, or the Daily Telegraph, or the BBC, or ITN, or The Times, or The Independent, or … (!), you can find out more about Chris at his website, www.chris2win.org

Alternatively, if you would like to hear what others are saying about Chris, why not have a look at http://www.bloggers4chris.org.uk – as a featured blogger, I really recommend it!

A local community success

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Visited the Burghley Road Under-5s Community Drop in Centre to celebrate turning on their new central heating system and their new floor. I arrive amongst herds of toddlers and parents to this absolutely wonderful community centre.

The Council had long ago let local parents have the building as a drop in for mothers with their under-5s. An absolute life-saver to have somewhere to go and meet other parents when you are stuck at home with young children. I haven’t forgotten the sort of despair when the door first closed on me as my then husband went to work and I was left alone with my new baby. There wasn’t anything like this where I was.

Here the mothers (and some fathers) all work and run it as volunteers. Someone opens up, others cook lunch, others tidy up and close up. It has a sweet little outdoors area with climbing frame. But it was run down – and had absolutely no central heating. One mother was telling me that she had had to stop coming in the worst winter months because it was too cold for the baby. Anyway – thanks to their perseverance and some new funding through a couple of sources they had now been able to install both central heating and a new floor! The management committee and all the volunteers deserve a big cheer for really giving to the community.

Police funding

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Leading on the Police Funding Report today in the House. This is the funding for Police Authorities for their forces. It doesn’t include special payments for things like counter-terrorism or the security forces or other special payments – but is the main chunk of money that gives us police on our streets – or not!

The Association of Police Authorities (APA) and the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) are extremely concerned that the funding is inadequate – leaving a gap of £250 million which will either result in cuts or in increased council tax. Since 2001 the portion of police funding paid by us through our Council Tax precept has gone from 12% to 21%. So when you hear Labour Government boasting about the increase of police on our streets and the Safer Neighbourhood Scheme – which we all want – remember it is us who have paid to have them there through local taxes.

Latter, after I had made my speech, the Minister Paul Goggins, in his wind up of the debate, said that he disagreed with the Honourable Lady for Hornsey & Wood Green (me!). And that this funding allocation would benefit the poor and everyone would have local policing. However, what I had actually said, was that any rise in Council Tax would hit the poorest and most financially vulnerable because it is an unfair tax and older people have no means to increase their income to meet increases in Council Tax – and with the scandal of womens’ pensions……….etc. So naughty Mr Goggins.

Naughty Mr Goggins too – I see in the local paper that he visited my constituency without letting me know (which is the convention) to visit the TreeHouse School for autistic children. This is a fantastic outfit which came recently to my constituency and does the most incredible work – so I forgive him!

Co-terminus with the debate – I was meant to be hosting an event on the terrace for the Met Police Authority (ironically), but they just had to manage without me. I did get in there for about 10 minutes – just as Sir Ian Blair was finishing his speech – so I don’t know what he said. I just thanked everyone for coming and suggested they continued to enjoy themselves – and then rushed back to the chamber.

Offensive cartoons

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Bumped off London Radio by the offensive cartoons! So many callers apparently that they want to take me later in the morning. However, I am otherwise engaged on a campaign team meeting. It’s all go in Haringey for the local elections. Labour know we are in a position to take the council off of them – and for months have been plastering Haringey with posters saying how wonderful the council is! I think they might be able to fool some of the people some of the time, but…

Some of the activists there who had been supporting Ming Campbell originally – said how impressed they were with Chris Huhne on Question Time. Way to go. Ming and Chris had sent leaflets to the HQ for activists to pick up – but none from Simon. Haven’t heard much about his campaign at all.

Spend a good part of the day reading the police grant report – I know – just lucky I guess. It is coming to the Commons tomorrow and I am leading for the Liberal Democrats, so want to be well-informed for the debate. Make some speech notes, do my emails (only about 8 left in inbox – it’s a miracle) and pay bills.

The cartoon issue has gripped every paper and news outlet today – not surprisingly. There is clearly something stirring in the world beyond our shores. My sense is that there is a desire from some quarters for Jihad – and this is just grist to their mill. I sometimes think it is a bit like the days of communism. With communism – ordinary working people were exploited in the name of a wider cause that was supposedly in their interest, but in fact wasn’t – and sacrificed huge numbers of them in the name of the cause.

Same with Muslim extremists – trying to claim that their own extreme beliefs are really on behalf of – and in the interests of – the much wider and larger Muslim community, when in fact – its nothing of the sort, and the extremists are instead trying to exploit the (very different) bulk of Muslim faithful. With communism it was a case of perverse ideology, in this case it’s a case of perverse theology.

Liberal Democrat leadership contest

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Reading The Times this morning I would say that Chris Huhne must be doing really well in the Lib Dem leadership contest – given the number of attacks on him.

There seems to be briefings against him. The briefings say that he had agreed not to run. I believed passionately that we needed him to run for the party to have a real choice, and I wasn’t the only one. Chris did the right thing – he went to Ming and said he had changed his mind and asked if Ming would release him from his earlier commitment. Ming is a gentleman – and basically let democracy flourish. And Chris has handled this really well I think – being open and honest and saying, yes – he changed his mind.

Whether Chris or Ming wins – they will at least know that they have a genuine mandate from the party for their leadership.

Evening – I go to a small stakeholder meeting on Hornsey Hospital – a long-running saga. Having met previously with Richard Sumray to demand a public meeting to update the situation – the public meeting is finally to be on 22 February. The plans are to deliver first rate local health services to the area – but there is a price to pay. Watch this space.

In the evening Chris (leadership) Huhne is on Question Time where he gives a storming performance – aided by an astoundingly bad one by the First Minister for Wales, Rhodri Morgan. The man is a liability. Chris was really good and seems to be growing stronger and better every performance.

Channel Four political awards

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Thirty plus children from Alexandra Park School came to Parliament today. They had the tour, sat in the chamber for Prime Minister’s Questions – PMQs – and then came to question me for half an hour in a room I booked in Portcullis House.

Straight in – no hesitation – what should the public think of politicians who lie? So I gave them a very long and very direct answer – on the whole sad story of why politicians fall from grace. They were very condemnatory of George Galloway – and much, much more. I like it when children are lively and engaged as these young people were.

The Parliamentary Education Unit has produced a new brochure for young visitors to the House – and I even star on one page!

The afternoon is taken up with the police mergers debate. Nothing new to add since it was debated before Christmas. Labour’s plans are still wrong – combining illogical areas to fit in with the government’s regionalisation, hugely expensive and will not fix the real issues. Expensive nightmare! And ordinary you and me will have a double whammy. We will pay extra in taxes for the extra costs but also have less a less local and less accountable police force (except in London which remains unchanged).

I rush away at the end to go to Channel 4 Political Awards. Have been nominated for the Rising Star award – which is quite an accolade and only awarded once in every term of parliament. I am up against two Labour and one Tory. Given that it is one member of parliament one vote – I suspect I won’t win. It is a star-studded (ish) affair and I am seated next to Tony Benn (great person to sit next to) and Michael Howard on the other side of him.

They have put together packages of each category’s nominees with people, journalists or other MPs talking about them. I won’t spoil it all by giving it away here – but it will be on Channel 4 on Monday at 8pm. There were copious jokes at George Galloway’s expense – and the LibDems didn’t get away scot-free from what passed for jokes.

Incitement to Religious Hatred Bill

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As you may have already heard, the Government’s Religious Hatred Bill suffered two defeats this week in the Commons.

After it passed from the Commons – despite Liberal Democrats and others voting against it – my Liberal Democrat colleagues in the Lords introduced an amendment to the Bill guaranteeing freedom of speech. Without getting too technical, when the Bill returned this week to the Commons – the Government wanted to negate the Lords’ amendments and re-introduce two dangerous elements. One was that you would be caught by the proposed legislation if you used ‘insulting or abusive’ language against a person of some faith or none. This was defeated and you will only be caught if the language is actually ‘threatening’.

The other element was that you will now have to ‘intend’ to incite religious hatred – i.e. inciting religious hatred is the purpose of what you say and the reason for you saying it. Basically, if you criticise someone for their religion – which is a legitimate function of free speech in a democracy – you will now no longer be caught by this legislation.

Had we not defeated the Government, we would have seen legislation not only chill free speech – but we would also have seen the unintended consequences of the Bill deliver the opposite of its avowed intention – more religious hatred and not less.

This was democracy in action – where the opposition parties across both Houses, and joined by the Labour rebels in the Commons, worked together to defeat a seriously flawed Bill.

The strength and depth of opposition registering in my post bag shows just how unpopular this Bill was. Such strong protest from the public definitely helped convince Labour rebels that the Bill could not be passed as it was.

Kurdish human rights

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In the evening host an event at Parliament – with a number of pretty high power speakers – about human rights issues for Kurdish women in Turkey. The event was titled “Ongoing Violence Against Kurdish Women in Turkey; What the EU-Turkey Accession Talks Offer Women”.

Estelle from the Peace in Kurdistan campaign had approached me to host the event – and the speakers included: Sehnaz Turan – a Kurdish human rights lawyer based in Istanbul; Baroness Helena Kennedy; Margret Owen a barrister and adviser to KHRP; Monireh Moftizadeh – founder member of Kurdish Women’s Project who worked om the Kurdish women’s charter and MEPs Jean Lambert and Sarah Ludford – and me!

Kurdish women in Turkey are fighting on two fronts for their freedoms and rights – both rights for women and for Kurds.

Regional conference

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Do a Saturday surgery today at Muswell Hill library. Don’t use this venue too often as there is no disabled access. Lots of heart rending situations this morning. I sometimes despair of the Home Office and its decisions – such as when I have to sit with a woman who has been raped and tortured – and yet has had her final notice that her appeal to stay is rejected.

I will write to the Minister and beg on compassionate grounds – but Tony McNulty’s ears are usually hardened to such pleas. A statistic is one thing – a woman in absolute despair and fear is another.

After surgery I go to Guildford to address a Lib Dem regional conference on ‘How we won Hornsey & Wood Green’. As well as the motivational story – which Hornsey & Wood Green is – I refer to our difficulties. I talk about ‘recent sticky moments’. Yes – as a gale of laughter shook the room – I realised my choice of words was not (or was!) well chosen.

Laughter being the best medicine it was a very jolly rally and I have no doubt when our leadership contest is done and dusted – we will be just fine. Particularly if Chris Huhne wins. I think he will bring that fresh feel to the Lib Dems – and now we need that more than ever.

Ken's at it again

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See my old sparring partner Ken Livingstone, Mayor of London, has a pop at the LibDems on the Assembly and at me in particular in his new column in the Ham & High today! I love it when Ken gets his knickers in a twist about me. Reading the politics of this – for Ken is always about votes – he is bigging up the Greens on the Assembly (who sold out to him long ago) and worried about the success of the LibDems in London coming up to the local elections. I will be in his sights as we have a fair chance of taking over Haringey Council from Labour. So the man’s a complete dirty street fighter – and this is his way of reaching out to my neck of the woods.

I used to be rather more of a fan of his in the early days of London government where, as Chair of Transport in London, I stood shoulder to shoulder with him supporting the first Congestion Charge and against Labour’s PPP for the Tube. But wow he’s Labour’s man at City Hall – not a peep about the Tube and particularly us poor Northern Line sufferers.

It’s no good Mayor Livingstone trying to have a go at me just ‘cos I didn’t like or support his West London Tram plans. He did a consultation and the people didn’t like it. As for residents in Haringey – don’t forget that Ken supports the concrete factory against local residents wishes. He also supports having tower blocks plonked in Wood Green without infrastructure – again against local wishes.

As for the Labour government’s commitment to the environment – the Government just moves the targets every time it sees it is going to fail miserably. Charity starts at home Ken. Have a go at your mates in Whitehall rather than trying to dabble in the politics of Haringey!

Later on, film crew arrive from the Dimbleby Show to film a little intro to the live interview they will be doing with Chris Huhne tomorrow. I hope it came across that he is a human with a hinterland. I think Chris is a modern man and understands the pressures of real life. He has a proper hinterland. And he has had the balls (although I think I used the word guts) to rise to this challenge. He can take on Gordon (I still don’t think Cameron has it in the longer term). He is tough, decisive – but also warm and friendly – and clear about direction. So – hope they edit kindly and big him up!